Tennis: Belinda Bencic beats former world number one Simona Halep in three sets

Swiss Belinda Bencic defeated former world number one Simona Halep in three sets on Thursday to seal a spot in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. The 21-year-old outlasted the reigning French Open champion, now ranked two in the world, in two hours and 17 minutes on Centre Court, despite going a set down, to eventually triumph 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. The win is a big boost for Bencic, who is through to her first Premier-level semi-final since her 2016 run to the St. Petersburg final. She's now scored her first back-to-back wins against top ten players since 2015 in Tokyo after beating world number nine Aryna Sabalenka in the previous round. Bencic will next face two-time defending champion Elina Svitolina in the semi-finals.